


You Tend To Forget What You Have To Do When You're Given A Little Time

by voidshadowwriter



Category: Gintama
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Breaking the Fourth Wall because its Gintama, Childish Antics, Feels, Gen, Humor, manga ending spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-29
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:54:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26173777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/voidshadowwriter/pseuds/voidshadowwriter
Summary: Takasugi woke up in a very familiar place and saw a very familiar kid he last saw twenty years ago.
Relationships: Katsura Kotarou & Sakata Gintoki, Katsura Kotarou & Takasugi Shinsuke, Sakata Gintoki & Takasugi Shinsuke
Comments: 2
Kudos: 30





	You Tend To Forget What You Have To Do When You're Given A Little Time

**Author's Note:**

> Since I love Gintama so much, I had to write something for my boy Shinsuke and I am not ready to see the emotional ending animated yet. T-T

Light.

Light was flooding upon his face.

A flash of memories came to him. He should be dead. He died at the arms of his rival in a battle not lost. Takasugi knew it. There is no way that he survived that death match with Utsuro. Gintoki even gave him a proper send off, a well battled tied match.

 _Weird._ Isn’t it supposed to be darkness that will embrace you once you’re dead?

Or, is this the fires of hell they all talk about? Why does it feel like the sun though? Because right now it felt more like he’s basking under the sun rather than getting roasted in the depths of hell.

He tried opening his eye a little bit. Green. Green is the first thing he saw. He’s buried in a patch of tall grass, and as surreal as it is, under a bright noon sun.

Takasugi wanted to laugh. Did he actually survive _that?_

He slowly tried getting up, waiting for the pain to shoot in different parts of his body. Nothing came.

 _What?_ He thought. He looked down his body. There were no bloodstains at all, or any signs that he just had the battle of his life.

Confused, Takasugi sat up straight. _At least one thing’s clear now: I am alive._

He instinctively reached for his sword. It’s not his left hip, nor right hip nor anywhere. _Where is his sword?_

“Oi, Ossan, looking for this?”

Takasugi whipped his head towards the direction of the voice who seemed to belong to a brat. Indeed, there stood a brat.

With a silver hair, and a smug look that he knew so well.

“Gintoki?” Came out as a half whisper of disbelief.

Only that this Gintoki is a different Gintoki. This is the Gintoki he had crossed swords almost everyday 20 years ago.

The kid’s eyes widen in a brief second, and then squinted. He slowly drew the sword that he’s holding. Takasugi recognized his own sword.

“Who are you? Why do you know my name?” Gintoki demanded.

_Okay. What Amanto shit is this? Did I actually just travel 20 years back? Or this is just a delusion before going to the actual hell?_

_Whatever._ Takasugi gave up all of the thinking. He just guffawed.

“That…” he pointed his sword in little Gintoki's hands. “If you’re _the_ Gintoki 20 years ago, that sword will never reach me. Even though I’m basically unarmed.”

Gintoki gritted his teeth. A vein or two popped in his head. “Stop laughing!”

Takasugi couldn’t help but just _laugh._ He doesn’t even know what’s funny, and didn’t even care if he’s getting out of character. _Probably if anyone sees me like this, they’ll definitely have a brilliant tsukkomi, because for the first time the ever serious Takasugi Shinsuke is acting like a boke._ Plus, he had not have a laugh like this in years he lost count.

“Oi, Gintoki! What are you doing… Eh? Whose sword is that?”

Another voice came. _Who is it now? Zura? Me?_

Takasugi calmed down a little bit, and decided to just play along with all this bullshit. He already remembered this place. It was their usual sparring arena, the three of them when they’re sneaking out to actually fight without rules. Just for the sake of it, usually when he is the 'general' because Zura’s always being a stick in the mud. He was indeed 20 years back in time.

“That suspicious ossan over there knows me, and I don’t know if you weaklings feel it but I know this guy’s bad news.”

Takasugi turned and true enough, there stood the three kids he expected them to be. Gintoki, Zura, and him. It felt weird seeing himself that he couldn’t help but burst out laughing again.

“Oi, this guy seems out of it. He’s probably crazy.” The ever-logical Zura stated. _Whatever happened to him that his adult version became a dumb comic relief with zero common sense who only becomes useful in serious arcs?_

“What ‘probably’? He’s definitely crazy!” His 10 year old version said as he drew his own bokken.

“This is a riot.” Takasugi finally caught his breath. “Sorry about that, Zura, Shinsuke.”

“It’s not Zura, it’s…”

“Katsura, I know.” 

Zura looked terrified. He’s probably scaring the shit out of them. Takasugi knew by this time, the three of them could tell if the enemy is too strong for them.

“Why do you know us? Who the hell are you?” Zura demanded, acting like the general again.

“Oh, you’re the general today, Zura?” Takasugi stepped forward. The three of them took a step back. “Then, take me to Shoyo-sensei. I’d like to see him.”

Takasugi smiled. He doesn’t mind if this is a delusion, he actually just want to see Shoyo again.

“What do you want from Shoyo? We will never take you to him!” Gintoki yelled as he charged forward, ignoring Zura's order to stand back. In a split second, Takasugi claimed his sword back and smacked Gintoki in the head, burying half of the brat's body.

“What? Oiii!” 

“So, who’s next?” Takasugi taunted.

“We will not take you to Shoyo! You will have to face sensei first!” his kid version said. Gintoki already wormed his way out of the bury.

“Gintoki-senpai? Takasugi-senpai?”

A new voice called. Another of their friend? Takasugi couldn’t tell, because most students were unnamed in the manga and anime to begin with.

“Shoyo! Don’t come near!” Zura shouted.

“Shoyo?”

“You dumbass! Why did you have to call his name?! Now this guy already knows it’s Shoyo, you moron!!”

“Why? What’s happening?”

‘Shoyo’ appeared. A kid, about the same age as those three. Ash brown hair, green eyes. Takasugi frowned for a second.

“Shoyo…sensei?”

The kid just looked back at him, confused.

“Shoyo is just a new student, he can’t protect himself yet! You have to beat us first before you can take Shoyo, you pedophile!”

“Zura stop giving him information! Ossan, if you want a kid you can take Zura instead.” His young version said as the three of them shielded the young Shoyo.

“It’s not Zura, it’s Katsura!”

“Shoyo, run and call sensei. This guy’s bad news.”

“Gintoki stop acting cool when it’s all your fault! You should have just stolen his sword and ran away.”

“And get beaten by sensei? No way.”

“So you’re telling me, that that kid _is_ Yoshida Shoyo?” The kid looked genuinely terrified. “Who’s your sensei then?”

Takasugi couldn’t follow what’s going on. If that’s Shoyo, which the kid actually looks like him, then their sensei must be a different person? _What dimension is this?_

“What’s going on here, Gintoki, Katsura, Takasugi? I thought I told you to be good seniors to Shoyo.”

This time it’s a voice Takasugi could easily recognize. If this is the anime, a futuristic alienish theme song cues. Takasugi raised his eyebrow in disbelief.

“Zu—”

“Zura-sensei!” The four kids almost cried in unison as they ran behind the idiot’s back.

“Zura?! What the fuck are you doing here?” He couldn’t believe it.

_Why is an actual adult version of Zura here together with his young version? And did they just call him Zura-sensei?!_

Zura just stared back at him. “Gintoki, answer me. What’s happening here? Who’s this ossan?”

“Who’s the ossan you’re talking about you asshole, we’re the same age.”

“I don’t know, sensei, he’s just sleeping there then he started attacking us.”

“Stop giving sensei your version of truth! It’s you who started this!”

“It’s this useless, sorry excuse for an adult's fault that he’s sleeping in our turf!”

“The three of you, 5,000 swings this afternoon. The same for you, Shoyo, because you let them drag you around like this. That plastic bag of food you’re holding is enough evidence.”

“That’s just Gintoki's food!”

“Shut up, Chibisugi! There's your yakulk, too!”

“You two, stop fighting, both of you are at fault here.”

“Stop acting clean, Zura! There’s clearly nmaibou there, too!!”

“I told you it’s not Zura! It’s Katsura!”

“What’s wrong with Zura anyway, you’re being disrespectful to sensei's name!”

“It’s because I’m Katsura not Zura! It’s me you’re mocking!”

“Senpai, please stop fighting already.”

“Look, I’m sorry for the behavior of my students, samurai-san.” Zura said as he bowed in front of Takasugi. Seeing the banters of the brats silenced him. Or he’s just confused. Takasugi slowly reached for his sword and swung it directly to Zura’s direction. As expected, Zura was able to dodge it.

The sound of swords clashing was enough to silence the brats.

“Go back to the dojo. I’ll deal with this.” The three looked like they wanted to protest, but ran anyway.

“Now, do I know you?” Zura asked. Takasugi scoffed.

“What are you doing here? How are you coexisting with your younger self?” Another swing met by a swing.

Zura lunged backward, Takasugi knows this trick. It’s a fake Zura uses so he could…

Takasugi dropped his sword and raised his hands. “If it’s your head-butt, I can’t win against that. I can slice your head off though, but it seems like those kids regard you highly so I thought I shouldn’t.”

“Bold of you to assume you can slice off my head.” Zura sheathed his sword back to its scabbard.

“What do you want from my kids?”

“I thought I’ll see Shoyo-sensei here, but for some reasons I saw a good-for-nothing sensei instead. And Shoyo's a snotty little brat. What the fuck is this world?”

“I don’t have any idea who you are, but I felt no malice in the way you attacked me. It felt like a greeting to an old friend.”

“Old friend, my ass.” Takasugi scoffed. “Hey, Zura. Can I come and play with your students?”

“Stop speaking casually to me. I don’t know you. And no.”

“So if that kid _is_ Katsura Kotarou, then who are you?”

“Why should I answer that?”

Takasugi smirked. “Because I’m Takasugi Shinsuke 20 years later, _sensei._ ”

Zura looked unamused. He turned. “I’m sorry I don’t have time for obvious scams like this. I’ll turn you in to the police.”

“That’s rich coming from the number one conman who had been tailed by the police all his life.”

“Just don’t come anywhere near my students or I’ll send your head flying.”

“Wow, that’s scary, Katsura.”

“It’s not Katsura, it’s Zura.”

“It’s the other way around now?”

“It’s Zura Kotarou. Samurai-san, I can feel the air of the battlefield around you, and I don’t fight a uselessly troublesome fight. You are strong yourself so stop picking on students not on your level. Spare some pride on that sword you carry.”

Takasugi chuckled _. This world seems to be a different dimension. Or is this the afterlife already? Just a simulation of a weird world?_

“I don’t want to see the future of this world where Takasugi Shinsuke or Yoshida Shoyo is taught by a dumb teacher like you.”

Zura paused then sighed. “Then teach them yourself. Those kids hardly listen.”

Zura walked away. Knowing him, Takasugi figured that Zura might have understood that he meant no harm. _This is probably the afterlife anyway, and as long as Shoyo is alive here then all is well._

Takasugi heard a muffled sound. _Ah, of course. They hardly listen._

“Oi, chibi morons, show is over. Your teacher’s gone.”

“Stop pushing you asshole!”

“Didn’t you hear he said chibi? He meant you, Chibisugi!”

“What did you say?! I'm still a growing boy!”

“O-oi! If you don’t stop pushing each other we'll fall—”

And they did. The four brats fell from the tree where they were eavesdropping.

“Are you alright, Shoyo?”

“I’m fine, Katsura-senpai.”

Brat Gintoki and himself were still gripping each other’s hair.

“So, you guys have no fear of death, are you?”

“You won’t kill us. With four of us here we can gang up on you.” Gintoki nonchalantly answered. _Stupid kid._

“Uhm, Samurai-san, do I know you?” Shoyo approached him.

“Shoyo, be careful! That guy’s a pedo.”

Takasugi stared at the kid. “No. I mistook you for another Yoshida Shoyo.”

“Oh, okay.” The kid smiled. Takasugi felt a tug on his chest. That was the same smile he saw in the face of the Yoshida Shoyo in _his_ world.

Gintoki grabbed Shoyo protectively. “That guy probably sneaks around the dojo that’s why he knew us and sensei too! Don’t just believe in what a stranger says, stupid Shoyo!”

“Let’s go now. Let’s find that guy or sensei will double our punishment.”

“Oh? If you have something to do, why did you guys eavesdrop?”

“None of your business, shotacon!” They all started to walk away, still protectively surrounding Shoyo.

“Aren’t you supposed to be doing your punishment swings? We always do it here before.”

They didn’t answer. It was a weird sight, seeing himself young with those two pains in the ass.

“We’ll find Utsuro and have him apologize. That moron always does that, he seriously have some problems with—”

_Utsuro?_

He followed the brats. They walked a bit faster.

Takasugi's strides were definitely bigger, so the brats walked briskly. He didn’t stop walking. The brats started running.

“That ossan is totally following us!”

“No shit, Zura!”

“It’s not Zura, it’s Katsura!”

“Stop laughing, Shoyo, if we get caught, we’re dead!”

“But this is fun though, even though we’re totally dead to sensei later.”

“Oi, Chibisugi, he said he is you 20 years later, just surrender yourself to him.”

“I’m not a failure of an adult like that one, and I will never be!”

“But you have the same hair though.”

“Zura and sensei have the same hair, too, but Zura is just Zura.”

“Well, that’s true.”

“Why do you only agree with each other when you’re mocking me!?”

They kept bantering that it’s amusing. Takasugi now understood how the other soldiers felt when they were bantering like this and no one but Zura or Sakamoto intervenes. Not only that they couldn’t with their abilities, but because it was so stupid that it’s amusing.

The last memory he had of the two was just like this. In their last fight they also exchanged petty insults like this too.

The brats were fast. His walking pace had not caught up to them. Takasugi could only hear the faint sounds of their never-ending petty dissing.

In this weird world, or hallucination before actual death, Utsuro also exists.

He felt a presence nearby. It’s quiet so every little movement if not so careful could be easily detected.

The presence shifted to another tree. It’s obviously following him.

“Gotcha.”

He caught the sneaking kid. He knew right away, identical ash brown hair, identical face… red eyes. _Utsuro._

The kid was flailing desperately from his grip.

“So in this world, you and Shoyo are twins?”

“Shut up! I saw how you fought sensei! I want to defeat you so I can be the strongest and destroy this world!”

“Destroy the world?” Takasugi squinted. The irony, that’s _his_ line, right? He dropped the kid.

“You, samurai-san. I saw potential in how you fought sensei. You are strong. Fight me!”

The kid was indeed carrying a real sword with him.

“Do you even know how to wield that? Why do you want to destroy the world?”

“Because…,” the kid dramatically turned his head away. “I am the chosen one. The one destined to destroy this rotten world.”

Okay, this kid definitely sounded like a typical delusional 6th grader.

“Is that why you part your hair like that? Because you are the ultimate antagonist? The final boss, is that it?” Takasugi deadpanned.

“N-no! It’s not like that at all, it’s because…It’s because I’m the chosen one! Not like I’m acting cool or anything!”

What a brat. This is definitely a mockery to the seriousness of Utsuro's character in the original series.

“Draw your sword, samurai-san, let’s see who’s stronger.”

Takasugi, giving up the charade of keeping in character, because _fuck it_ , he can be playful sometimes. Especially now that the old Gintoki and the others are not there to comment about it. He decided to give the kid a run for his money, though it’s not as if he _has_ money anyway.

He sat down on a log across the brat. “If you can make me stand from here in 15 minutes, I’ll consider fighting you.”

The brat smirked. “It’s your funeral.”

He lunged forward, dramatically yelled, only to get thrown away in a split second. The Utsuro here is _indeed_ just a brat.

The kid grimaced from the pain as he stood up to attack once again. And failed. Again. Failed. Again. Failed.

“I… won’t… give up!!” The kid barely managed, as he stood up once again. All Takasugi did was dodge all the attacks while sitting down.

“Oh? Aren’t you supposed to be the final boss, why are you spitting lines of a protagonist?” Takasugi mocked.

“Shut up, you lowlife! I will destroy the world with you and everything you cherish in it!”

Well, Takasugi is enjoying this.

He smirked, the Takasugi Shinsuke™ smirk, with one eye wide, piercing through the little kid's soul.

“But I already destroyed it though, this rotten world…”

The kid looked horrified.

“Are you afraid to take me on, you sorry excuse for a samurai? You can’t protect anything.”

That line was a cliché he heard from a shounen anime that Bansai and the others were watching before. He wasn’t exactly sure if Gintama actually used the same line?

The brat frowned. “Hey! You’re not supposed to be saying those lines! I’m the one who gets to say lines from the villain!”

Takasugi reverted back into his poker face. “Well, that’s because you’re doing a really bad job acting like a villain. Anyway, your time is up. I think it’s pretty much established that I’m stronger than you.”

He started walking away.

“Wait!”

Takasugi turned. “How did you know about sensei's head-butt? Only a very few people knew about it.”

The kid eyed him suspiciously, still gripping his sword.

“Hunch. I just knew he would do that. Seriously, why do you follow that braindead wig guy?” Takasugi answered nonchalantly as he continued walking. The thick faced brat followed him.

“Sensei is strong and smart. He is the last boss before me, only about time I make him my underling.” The brat smiled triumphantly.

“Then, if you’re the villain, who’s the main character? Is it still Gintoki?”

“Gintoki? That loser? No way. He is going to be my underling. He’s all brawns anyway; he and Takasugi will lead my foot soldiers. Katsura will be my strategist. The main character we will defeat, and the only one who can go against me is my born twin, my nemesis, Shoyo.”

“You all wrap this whole story around your head, huh.”

Takasugi said that, even though it’s pretty much what happened in the final arc. Only that they fought in Shoyo’s side.

“Because we’re the chosen ones, you see!”

“Right, right. Even though you can’t even beat me.”

The kid stopped walking. Takasugi glanced at him. The brat was smiling widely, like he just had the biggest and best idea ever.

“I know! You will be my left hand, then! Zura-sensei will be on my right! Let’s destroy the world together!”

Takasugi sighed. This is getting too ridiculous now. He turned to face the brat. His villain switch is on.

“What makes you think I will follow a weakling like you, when I could kill you right here, right now where no one can find yo—”

“UTSUROOO!”

 _Ah the annoying main characters_. Even in this fiction where Takasugi is supposed to be the main point of view, Gintoki knows exactly when to appear. As expected of the protagonist for 15 years.

“Hah? Shoyo!” The brat Utsuro dramatically exclaimed.

“Why are you with that pedo? Let’s go back to the dojo now, sensei will definitely kill us!” Small Zura pulled Utsuro.

“You, pedo, what did you do to Utsuro?!” Now that he’s seen it clearly, it’s weird seeing himself talk to himself. It was the same face he saw in the mirror 20 years ago.

“Takasugi-senpai, that samurai is strong; I can recruit him to destroy the world!”

“Again with that bull, you’re not destroying the world, Utsuro!” Gintoki hit Utsuro in the head with his fist.

“You should really stop watching those anime, you know! You guys should start watching documentaries instead!”

“Shut up, Zura! That’s why your taste is so old-fashioned.”

“I’m not old-fashioned, I’m Zura… ah no, I’m Katsura!”

“We should really head back now, before our punishment gets doubled!”

“It’s already doubled dumbass, he told us to comeback with this delusional moron _before_ lunch _._ And because you picked a fight with this pedo, we didn’t have lunch and now we’re doing 10,000 swings!”

“I’m not delusional! I will destroy—”

“ENOUGH WITH THE DESTROY THING!!”

“Uhh, senpai, you guys are busy arguing but we aren’t really moving aren’t we?”

“Shut up, Shoyo!”

“Okay, you idiots. Enough of the stand-up comedy.”

Although it’s fun seeing them lively and dumb as that, Takasugi knew that it has to end. He felt it too. He suddenly felt a bit sleepy. Probably his time with this weird world is almost up. He’s _finally_ dying.

“To correct you, though, I am not a pedo. You dumbasses just remind me of…” _myself? My weird friends?_ “…my friends.”

The sleepiness is already getting over his head. Takasugi suddenly felt sentimental. His last memory on earth is Gintoki’s challenging smile, telling him to wait in hell. It was so-so, at least better than the last scene his left eye saw. But if he could overwrite it with this, then why the hell not.

“Listen, I could give you a piece of advice. Don’t run yet, or I’ll kill all of you…”

It was an empty threat. He just wanted to actually make these kids listen. They stopped running and turned to face him. Their swords all ready. Utsuro even exclaimed that they could destroy him first before the world.

“You see, your sensei might not remember because he’s a moron but he was a good comrade. I don’t know what happened in this world, but in mine, I regret not having a drink with them one last time.”

He was already thinking out loud. This is his real thoughts about leaving _his_ world. He’s really getting drowsy.

“Katsura, you should always rotate the general position, so you could enjoy yourself. Shinsuke, I don’t actually know if you respect Zura as your teacher or not but always protect those you choose to protect… and Gintoki… ah do whatever you want, you can die for all I care.”

“Why is it that they get a nice advice and I only get a death wish?!”

“As if we’ll listen to you!”

“Ah, and Shoyo…”

“There he is again with Shoyo, seems like Shoyo is his favorite.”

“I’m glad to see you smile again. Be human in this world. Live on and be happy.” He’s really slurring his words now, his knees started to feel wobbly.

“Me? How about me? Any tips about destroying the world?”

Takasugi weakly chuckled.

“Why would you destroy the world when you can fight like this with them? They’re the biggest pain in the ass but they will always have your back. No matter what, no matter where even when you’re in the deepest hell, they’ll find you, pull you out and make fun of you…”

“Really? Even Utsuro had a moving advice and I just get a 'you can die'?!”

“Of course, we already had a moment before I died in my world, I won’t waste this one on you. Point is, live your life here. Protect who you have to protect. Protect your people, your Kiheitai, your Yorozuya, this nation…”

“Ossan, I don’t know who you are and you’re definitely not getting near us again, but we know all of what you just said even before you said it. It’s the same thing that Zura-sensei taught us. If he’s really your friend, you’ll know that.”

“Oh, right. Good. Then, that’s it. You may go now.”

The brats slowly walked back, then ran altogether. Takasugi’s knees finally gave up on him.

“Creepy samurai.”

“He’s crazy strong though!”

“He said Yorozuya, does he know Gin-chan, too?”

“I don’t know, those guys are ……”

 _Gin-chan? Huh, so he exists here too_. Takasugi thought if he also exists in this world as he is now. In this one-eyed form. Not the hopeful child. That world was a bit too weird and a bit too random. He should’ve had a drink with Zura instead of playing with that Utsuro. _But it was fun and there’s no point in regretting that now. Besides it’s not the Zura he wanted to drink with. That Zura was a bit too uptight, not the weird Zura that the viewers loved._

As his sleepiness took over, a warm smile imprinted in his head. He wasn’t exactly sure if it’s Shoyo, Gintoki, Zura, Sakamoto, Bansai, Takechi or Matako. It was one of them and all of them at the same time. And with that smile he can finally rest.

It finally stopped raining. It was the last drop of the rain that decided to stop. But instead of clouds parting for the sun, it was darkness that finally embraced him.

Darkness. Warm. Someone’s crying again. And they’re holding him. In this warm embrace, he felt so safe, so secured and so _small._

“Thank god, Shinsuke-sama!”


End file.
